Australian dies in Bali villa after vodka binge

AN AUSTRALIAN woman, believed to be from North Queensland, has died in a luxury Bali villa complex after drinking what police say was a large amount of vodka.

The victim was with two other Mossman women who tried to save her but she had died by the time emergency services arrived. Police say she had drunk up to 27 glasses of vodka.

Police say there is so far no cause of death for the 38-year-old, who died in the early hours of Sunday morning and no post mortem has yet been conducted.

The woman was staying at the luxury Peppers Seminyak villas with two other females, aged 46 and 20 years.

Police say the victim was drinking vodka with her friends, at their villa about 9pm on Sunday night and is believed to have had about 21 glasses of vodka followed by a further six glasses later in the evening.

She then went to her own villa to get her money as she was planning to go out but started vomiting at the front of her villa and fainted. Police said her pulse became weak and her face and lips burned blue.

The victim's friends tried to help by giving artificial respiration and a doctor was called about 12.13am who also tried unsuccessfully to revive her.

North Kuta police crime section chief, Ika Prabawa, said police were still investigating the cause of death.

"We are still investigating. Based on witnesses she drank vodka and when she came back to her villa she fainted and died," Mr Prabawa said.

He said police had examined the victim's villa as well as her friend's villa where she was drinking.

Police had found empty vodka bottles but there was no sign of locally-produced arak, a spirit which in the past has been responsible for deaths and serious injury of tourists in Bali and neighbouring islands.

Police have sought an autopsy to uncover the cause of death but say they are waiting for the family's approval for one to be conducted.

Peppers Seminyak, where the death occurred, advertises itself as having private villas which are "luxurious, chic and elegantly decorated".

Prices for one bedroom studio villas begin at $181 per night up to $501 per night for two bedroom pool villas.